Call for Proposals: Holiday Showcase 2025
December 3–4, 2025 | McCormick Place, Chicago

Get ready to take it to the Next Level. Holiday Showcase 2025 is not just an event—it’s a launchpad for bold ideas, groundbreaking innovations, and transformative leadership. We’re calling on visionary speakers, creative facilitators, and industry changemakers to help shape an immersive, future-focused experience that challenges what’s possible for associations.

What We’re Looking For:
We’re seeking session proposals that go beyond the expected—designed to spark action, inspire creativity, and equip attendees with meaningful takeaways. Whether it’s a new way to lead, a breakthrough tech solution, or an out-of-the-box member experience, your idea should reflect where our industry is heading.

Next Level Formats and Content:
We’re evolving the way we present and engage. In addition to traditional sessions, we’re especially interested in:

• Interactive labs and hands-on workshops
• Sessions for meeting professionals
• Case studies of successful (or unsuccessful!) innovations in association management

Why Submit?
Be part of the industry’s most festive, forward-thinking gathering and help association professionals unlock what’s next. Holiday Showcase 2025 is your platform to share innovations, spark connections, and make an impact.

Deadline to Submit: June 6, 2025
Submit your proposal today and join us as we take association leadership and engagement to the Next Level.

Here’s the must-read information prior to submission:

• Each primary speaker/moderator can submit up to three (3) proposals.

• Education sessions vary in length: 20-minute and 1-hour sessions.

• Priority will be given to presentations with formats that are bold, exciting, innovative, engaging, and interactive. For example, fishbowl format, point/counterpoint debate format, pitch contests, etc.

• Priority will be given to presentations that touch on one or more of these critical issues:

  • Intrapreneurship: empowering individuals to develop innovative approaches within their organizations

  • Tomorrow is Now: emerging thinking and technologies that chart a path toward a thriving future

  • "New Power" Leadership: new leadership styles and approaches based on contemporary perspectives

• We are looking for content on diverse topic areas, especially leadership, technology, meetings & events and member engagement. One session has been dedicated for an ethics presentation.  

• Please review Association Forum's content strategy for an deeper understanding of the audiences we serve and how we think about designing content that is relevant and timely 
• Confirmed presenters will be asked to record a short video to promote their session before the conference.

Please note that the Call for Proposals will close at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 6, 2025.

Note: After creating an account, your username and password will be sent to you. You can log in to the Proposal Service Center to edit your submission through the deadline of June 6. Submissions will not be reviewed before this deadline. If you start a submission but wish to finish later, you must enter placeholder text in all the remaining required fields in order for the presentation proposal submission to be saved; you will then have the option to edit a previously submitted entry.

The following information will be collected in the proposal:

• Presenter name/title/organization/email/phone
• Consent to Speaker Terms
• Biography (150 words maximum)
• Presentation Title
• Presentation Description (150 words maximum)
• Learning Objectives (3)
• Presentation Length (20 minute, 1 hour)
• Primary Content Strategy Area
• Primary Target Audience (CEO/ED, C-suite/VP, Director, Manager, Coordinator/Specialist/Assistant)
• Additional Target Audience (optional)
• Primary Content Theme (events & education, marketing, governance, IT, etc.)
• Practical Application (describe how this session's content could be applied to resolve a practical problem faced by the audience)
• Learning Techniques (describe how this session will be presented to maximize attendee engagement. Priority will be given to sessions whose format embraces meaningful interactivity. 150 words maximum)
• Presentation Frequency (has this presentation been giving at any other events? If so, where and when?)
• Other Education (in the event that your session is not selected for this conference, please indicate whether you would like to be considered for other educational opportunities)
• Headshot (optional, 350 x 350)
• Social media links (optional)
• Relevant article file upload (optional)

Back by Popular Demand! We are seeking 20-minute presentations for a special stage dedicated to showing how One Idea Can Change the World®. Did your organization develop something new to solve a challenge? Have you tackled a problem by taking an innovative approach? Did you forge ahead despite the risk of failure? We'd love to hear about your intrapreneurial approach - even if the project wasn't successful! - and share stories of how intrapreneurship is changing the face of associations today.

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